[ EDITORIAL ]

Public Deeds: Gigs and Garlands

Published: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 12:03 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 12:03 a.m.

On this day in 1752, the first hospital in what would become the United States was opened in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin. The opening was for its first, temporary building. Pennsylvania Hospital had been founded the year before by Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, and was a teaching hospital from the beginning.

Today, the hospital remains in operation under the same name, is housed in a permanent building that opened in 1756 and remains a teaching hospital.

Pennsylvania Hospital admits more than 29,000 patients annually, as well as having more than 115,000 outpatients and 5,200 births annually.

For this installment of "Gigs and Garlands," we will endeavor to remain healthy.

GIG: To the Polk County Commission for refusing Tuesday to so much as discuss — never mind consider — the idea of requiring criminal-history checks and waiting periods as long as five days for gun shows in Polk County.

The commission by consensus — no vote was taken — refused to consider such a request, reported The Ledger's Tom Palmer in an article Wednesday.

This, in a county where Polk County law-enforcement agencies stepped up in January and made safety visits to elementary schools within Polk in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings of 20 first-grade students and six staff members in Newtown, Conn. The Polk County School District could not afford to pay for on-site officers.

This, in a county where the Sheriff's Office confiscated 49 guns, including assault weapons and other rifles, from a septic tank business in Auburndale on Dec. 20. Sheriff Grady Judd said the business was being used as cover for a chop shop, which also took guns in trade for illegal drugs. The business is about 500 feet away from Walter Caldwell Elementary School.

This, in a county where an Auburndale police officer's call at the front door of a house was met with 20 shots from an assault rifle directly through the front door Sept. 2, 2011. Officer Stacey West was wounded and unable to walk, but nonetheless dragged herself to the garage of a next-door house. She has worked hard on recovery and made great gains, but her injuries were substantial and some remain stubborn.

With such violence in Polk County, with such a glut of high-powered guns in Polk County and with such concern over safety for schoolchildren in Polk County, the County Commission proved derelict by refusing to spare a bit of time for discussion about the adequacy gun-show regulation in Polk.

No, as Commissioner George Lindsey put it: "Let's resolve it now. I don't want to generate anxiety in the public that we would enact an ordinance."

GARLAND: To the Florida Department of Transportation for proposing to construct roundabouts at two rural intersections that do not have enough traffic to install stoplights but that have been the sites of crashes, some of which have been deadly.

The roundabouts — traffic circles — would be located at State Road 33 and Deen Still Road, north of Polk City, and Hunt Brothers Road and State Road 17, between Lake Wales and Highland Park, Palmer reported in an article Jan. 24.

Compared to traffic lights, they should be self-regulating and cost less to maintain. The roundabouts should slow traffic, without bringing it to a halt, and hopefully prove safer than today's intersections.

The roundabout north of Polk City is expected to cost $966,052 and be done by 2015.

GARLAND: To Jennifer King, Ph.D., a Florida Southern College associate professor of education and assistant dean of academic instruction & technology, for being named one of the top 22 education professors in Florida. She was one of two professors named from private colleges.

Online Schools of Florida, a website about online higher education, produced the ranking. The site provides information about and evaluation of colleges and degree programs.

"In 2011, Dr. Jennifer King was recognized as one of the top 50 ‘innovators of technology in education' in the country by the Center for Digital Education," says Online Schools of Florida. "She has a reputation for using innovative methods to help K-12 [teachers] learn how to integrate technology into their classrooms."

<p>On this day in 1752, the first hospital in what would become the United States was opened in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin. The opening was for its first, temporary building. Pennsylvania Hospital had been founded the year before by Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, and was a teaching hospital from the beginning.</p><p>Today, the hospital remains in operation under the same name, is housed in a permanent building that opened in 1756 and remains a teaching hospital.</p><p>Pennsylvania Hospital admits more than 29,000 patients annually, as well as having more than 115,000 outpatients and 5,200 births annually.</p><p>For this installment of "Gigs and Garlands," we will endeavor to remain healthy.</p><p>GIG: To the Polk County Commission for refusing Tuesday to so much as discuss — never mind consider — the idea of requiring criminal-history checks and waiting periods as long as five days for gun shows in Polk County.</p><p>The commission by consensus — no vote was taken — refused to consider such a request, reported The Ledger's Tom Palmer in an article Wednesday.</p><p>This, in a county where Polk County law-enforcement agencies stepped up in January and made safety visits to elementary schools within Polk in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings of 20 first-grade students and six staff members in Newtown, Conn. The Polk County School District could not afford to pay for on-site officers.</p><p>This, in a county where the Sheriff's Office confiscated 49 guns, including assault weapons and other rifles, from a septic tank business in Auburndale on Dec. 20. Sheriff Grady Judd said the business was being used as cover for a chop shop, which also took guns in trade for illegal drugs. The business is about 500 feet away from Walter Caldwell Elementary School.</p><p>This, in a county where an Auburndale police officer's call at the front door of a house was met with 20 shots from an assault rifle directly through the front door Sept. 2, 2011. Officer Stacey West was wounded and unable to walk, but nonetheless dragged herself to the garage of a next-door house. She has worked hard on recovery and made great gains, but her injuries were substantial and some remain stubborn.</p><p>With such violence in Polk County, with such a glut of high-powered guns in Polk County and with such concern over safety for schoolchildren in Polk County, the County Commission proved derelict by refusing to spare a bit of time for discussion about the adequacy gun-show regulation in Polk.</p><p>No, as Commissioner George Lindsey put it: "Let's resolve it now. I don't want to generate anxiety in the public that we would enact an ordinance."</p><p>GARLAND: To the Florida Department of Transportation for proposing to construct roundabouts at two rural intersections that do not have enough traffic to install stoplights but that have been the sites of crashes, some of which have been deadly.</p><p>The roundabouts — traffic circles — would be located at State Road 33 and Deen Still Road, north of Polk City, and Hunt Brothers Road and State Road 17, between Lake Wales and Highland Park, Palmer reported in an article Jan. 24.</p><p>Compared to traffic lights, they should be self-regulating and cost less to maintain. The roundabouts should slow traffic, without bringing it to a halt, and hopefully prove safer than today's intersections.</p><p>The roundabout north of Polk City is expected to cost $966,052 and be done by 2015.</p><p>GARLAND: To Jennifer King, Ph.D., a Florida Southern College associate professor of education and assistant dean of academic instruction & technology, for being named one of the top 22 education professors in Florida. She was one of two professors named from private colleges.</p><p>Online Schools of Florida, a website about online higher education, produced the ranking. The site provides information about and evaluation of colleges and degree programs.</p><p>"In 2011, Dr. Jennifer King was recognized as one of the top 50 'innovators of technology in education' in the country by the Center for Digital Education," says Online Schools of Florida. "She has a reputation for using innovative methods to help K-12 [teachers] learn how to integrate technology into their classrooms."</p>